1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for suturing by inserting a suture instrument via the mouth or the anus. For example, the present invention relates to a method of suturing a perforation formed in a wall of a hollow organ.
2. Description of Related Art
In the case of performing treatment in a body of a patient, the treatment can be performed by incising the body of the patient by surgical operation, or by oral endoscopic treatment or transanal endoscopic treatment. A method for suturing a perforation formed in an abdominal area by surgical operation is disclosed in FIGS. 6a to 6c of U.S. Pat. No. 6,066,146. According to this suturing method, a needle is thrust into the tissue around the perforation, and an anchor equipped with a suture thread is then extruded from the needle. After the needle is drawn out from the tissue, two suture threads across the perforation are knotted together to close the perforation.
The treatment using an endoscope is carried out by passing a forceps, high-frequency treatment instrument, incision instrument, suture instrument or the like through a channel of the endoscope. When the medical treatment is carried out by using an endoscope inserted into a lumen through a natural opening of a living body such as the mouth, anus, or the like, for example, a hole is formed by removing the tissue from the abdominal cavity or incising the tissue in the abdominal cavity, and the medical treatment is then carried out by approaching the abdominal cavity through this hole from the inside of the lumen. After performing the medical treatment, the formed hole is sutured by a suture instrument.
A method for suturing in a hollow organ is disclosed in FIGS. 6 to 9 of Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2004-601, for example. According to this suturing method, the tissue is drawn into an overtube, and a needle is then thrust through this tissue from the proximal side to the distal side thereof. From the inside of the needle, an anchor equipped with a suture thread is pushed out to the distal side of the tissue. After that, the needle is pulled out, and thereby the suture thread penetrates through the tissue and tightens up the tissue. There is also a method disclosed in FIG. 1, FIG. 4, FIGS. 5A to 5C of U.S. Pat. No. 5,297,536. According to this method, a flexible endoscope is inserted into the vicinity of a perforation via the mouth or the anus. The tissue around the perforation is aspirated by a tube of the flexible endoscope. When an O-ring provided at the outside of the tube is pushed out from the tip of the tube, the aspirated tissue is clamped by the O-ring.